TRAVEL WITH THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))

Sunday, March 10, 2013

REJUVENATED BY THE WARM ARIZONA SUN:))

Sooooo happy to see a big bright sunny day shape up this morning. Two days of sitting in the house was not good, physically or mentally. Yes, we here at the Bayfield Bunch are definitely warm sunny day people for sure:))

So nice to get back out for our quiet & sweeping panoramic desert walk again this morning.

Some readers have suggested we leave the Sunseeker here in the States & save ourselves a pile of money in sales tax by not taking it across the border. Definitely a good idea from a financial point of view for sure. A storage facility in Michigan or Kelly’s Mother’s place in Spencerport NY. Briefly thought about that of course, but one of the reasons for going with a smaller RV is for shorter trips in Canada this summer. With Kelly’s retirement, or maybe I should say ‘semi-retirement’, we are hoping to get a little Canadian travel time in for a change. Kelly can also use it to visit her kids over in Cambridge. Idea was to have something comfortable enough for her to drive & stay in while visiting. Also, do not like the idea of a vehicle just sitting for 6 months at a time & especially not a motor vehicle. Our rig is also our guest house if someone comes to visit for any length of time. And, our Jeep is not nearly big enough to carry Kelly, Pheebs & I with all our stuff between Bayfield & Congress or wherever the rig would be stored. No, we just have to bite the bullet & pay the taxes. We have already allowed for that. And besides, we much prefer to have the RV on our own property at all times as opposed to an inconvenient & far away storage facility somewhere. That was an important factor when we were looking for a house & property here in the southwest the past few years. Gotta be enough room for our rig or we were not interested. Our RV is part of the family & we like to keep it close by………10-4:))

Had ourselves a mighty fine weather day so Kelly busied herself cleaning the rig & loading some stuff for next month’s trip home. I did the same except for the cleaning part. After today our shed is looking a little less confused & cluttered.

---

A former neighbor gave us a big bucket of sunflower seeds before departing the area a couple months ago so I spent some time planting handfuls of Sunflowers. Only hope of them growing is if Arizona happens to have a wet summer, which of course is probably not going to happen. Even if some of the Sunflowers make it, we won’t know if they did until we get back in the Fall.

Browsing a few Blogs this morning I see some of the northwest Bloggers are already on the road home. Also noticed some of the fellas I know are beginning to feel the early inklings of ‘Hitch-Itch’. And, I’m one of them. It always stirs whenever the winds of travel begin to gather. I generally like to be out on the road going somewhere. Problem is, whenever I get to where ever it is I’m going I’m never content for very long to be where I’m at & I’m itching to get going somewhere else again. This winter was an exception with the house. Because it was something so different for a change, I managed to keep busy & content myself for months on end. Really did enjoy that but already know next year will be different again. We still have a lot of ‘new places’ to see & go. After all, that’s been our whole idea behind having a comfortable southwest home base & a smaller rig. Still very much looking forward to more boondocking, hiking & exploring, but just for shorter periods of time. Weeks not months anymore:))

By the very nature of their design I’ve always thought 5th wheels have some of the nicest layouts I’ve ever seen. Recently retired & only a month away from traveling full time, Tammy & Art with their dogs Effie & Cooper will soon be on the road with their big Avalanche 5th wheel. Drop on over & check out their gorgeous new 5’ver digs. "IT'S GOOD TO BE US". You can feel the excitement:))

I was moved by a paragraph in Sue’s recent post at THE MOHO AND OTHER TRAVELING TALES. Her feelings about a dear friend who recently passed away made me once again think about why some of us keep our blogs going day after day or week after week. In part, I left Sue the following comment that may explain why some of us do….. “I have always written my blog as more of a journal although it did start out as a travel blog. I think this is a fine place to get one’s feelings out whether they be happy, sad, glad, or mad. When we lost our dogs I could have maybe made a passing comment about it but they were an important part of our life & my heart wrote about their passing & the emptiness after. I think writing from the heart with honesty is a healthy way to express feelings & emotions with readers & friends. Maybe you should just sit down & simply write a story about Bel. As hard as it may seem, you will feel better in the end for doing that. And your story may help someone else out here through a difficult time in their lives as well. We Blogger folks have a great opportunity to help others through our writings. And I may add, our photos as well. You have some nice one's again. Like the Joshua Tree header photo for sure plus the Swans & the Horses. Keep your feelings in your writing & keep your photographer's eye on the beauty surrounding you. Your writings & photography will help people more than you know”.

GROANER’S CORNER:(( I was with a friend in a cafe' when a noisy car alarm interrupted our conversation. "What good are car alarms when no one pays any attention to them?" I wondered aloud.
"Some are quite effective," my friend corrected me. "Last summer, my teenager spent a lot of time at the neighbors'. Whenever I wanted him home, I'd go out to the driveway and kick his car."

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

Saturday, March 09, 2013

CREDIT CARD COMPROMISED!!

THIS ONE SIMPLE BACK YARD PHOTO SUMS UP OUR CRAPPY DAY

Our late Friday afternoon blue skies didn’t last long & we woke up to a heavy overcast Saturday morning. So heavy in fact the clouds finally sank to ground level & we found ourselves in a drizzly fog. Kelly took Pheebs for a quick walk. I refused to go out of the house & stuck close to my electric heater under my chair. Temps got down into the mid 30’s overnight & barely got over 40 today. Predicted highs next week….85F. Oh really!!

---

Kelly was out the door early & headed over to North Ranch for their annual big March garage sale. I remember it was a year ago when Kelly cruised that sale & came home with a Jeep load of stuff. Those were some of the earliest furnishing we had for the house.

---

In fact it was 1 year ago today we drove to Prescott & inked our offer on the house with the Real Estate agent. I remember it as a very stressful day. Phone calls to Canada had to be made, faxes sent, an American bank account opened, etc. etc. Just the kind of stuff I dislike so much & just the kind of stuff Kelly has the patience & smarts to do so well.

---

It would be another week or so before we knew the house deal was final but we had already begun making changes to the property. I had a big full scale clean-up underway. The Real Estate agent never did know that we would soon be in the house painting & moving in a few bits of furniture etc. And he never did know that we had the whole house stuccoed either. It was a ‘huge gamble’ we took but we were confident the deal would swing in our favor…..and it did:))

---

Bob from THE CARETAKER CHRONICLES had a few questions awhile back about our experience with purchasing a vehicle in the States. Well, it’s been quite an experience alright & it isn’t over yet. We still have to get this vehicle across the border next month. Kelly is confident there will be no problem because everything we are doing is above board. Despite that, because of the way things have gone, I see ourselves hanging from iron shackles on an old brick wall in a dark & dank border dungeon for the next 10 years.

---

Having never purchased a vehicle in the United States before we have found the whole thing very confusing, tiring, & frustrating. And the dealership we bought if from has not made things any easier for us. Everything is done much differently here in the States. What I can tell you right now though is about…..insurance coverage. This unsuspected Monster really blindsided us.

---

In Ontario Canada, one has 14 days to get a purchased vehicle from the States across the border into Canada. Insurance companies will cover you for those 14 days & that’s it. We did not know that & thought it was our insurance company who was jerking us around when we tried to switch our policy from the sold Damon to the newly purchased Sunseeker. But, after many inquiries to other Ontario insurance companies we finally found out this is a Government regulation, not an individual Insurance company regulation. After that 14 day travel limit has expired a vehicle is not eligible for insure in Ontario until it is properly registered in Ontario.

---

After buying the Sunseeker & getting it back to our digs in Congress we suddenly realized we did not have insurance coverage & the only way to get it insured was to go with an American insurance policy. Well, we ran into some horror stories right off the bat. State Farm wanted over a thousand dollars for 6 months. What!!!! We only needed coverage to get the RV from Congress to the border. Luckily, through Kelly’s patience & the honesty & integrity of a State Farm insurance broker, she was able to track down another insurance agent in Yarnell representing the FOREMOST INSURANCE COMPANY out of Grand Rapids Michigan. Phone calls were made, faxes were sent back & forth & a policy was issued. Price was reasonable & we are now insured to get the rig back to Canada. The Yarnell insurance lady said to then cancel the policy upon our return. She said this is how it is normally done for Canadians who are over their 14 day limit in getting a vehicle back to Ontario. Our American insurance coverage came into effect one day before we took off for Borrego Springs last week. Before that, we were grounded:((

---

Once we are securely back in Canada next month I will consider posting ‘the rest of the story’ about this whole Sunseeker deal. We are glad to have the unit but it has been a real ordeal for us, & extremely stressful to say the least. And would we buy another vehicle in the States? Judging from the way things have gone, my answer to that is a resounding ‘NO’!! And we haven’t even got to the border yet. I’m already having nightmares about old brick walls & iron shackles:((

---

Darlene in our Shout Box wondered what we use in our rig’s toilet system to keep it trouble free. I think if you asked 10 people this question you might get 10 different answers. Some folks use no chemicals but I think most people do. We use ‘the blue chemical’ & to this I add a generous couple squirts of Dawn dish detergent & Calgon water softener if we can find it. Those last two go a long way in keeping the walls of the black tank & sensors sludge free. It’s the first chemical that keeps it odor free & breaks down bacteria. I also add an extra bucket of water to the black tank so there is always lots of sloshing action going on in their. It is important not to be stingy with the water when flushing. This system has proved trouble free for us the past 5 years or so. Here’s a LINK to lots of good info on the topic.

---

Forgot to mention a couple other reasons why we head back to Ontario in early April. As reader’s know, neither Kelly or I are hot or cold weather people. By April it is already getting too hot for us in Congress with temps charging up over the 80 degree mark. The other reason is Spring clean-up in Bayfield. Depending on the severity of the winter storms our property can be littered with broken limbs, sticks & twigs. Also on the ground are about 3 good full utility loads of pine needles that have to be raked up. Flower beds need to be cleaned out so our Spring flowers can begin to bloom etc. And of course our many birds will anxiously be waiting in the tree tops for me to get the bird feeders out. And for sure the Squirrels will be awaiting that blessed day as well:(( Spring clean-up is an old habit stemming from many bad years of winter. I always loved getting outside in that crisp Spring air each year. It is something I enjoy every Spring & will be something I will enjoy in Congress each Fall.

---

And an infuriating development this morning. Kelly stopped for gas on the way home from North Ranch & her credit card was declined. A quick check of our on-line bank account showed our card has been compromised. Last time we used the card was a couple days ago at Love’s Truck stop in Quartzsite Arizona. The very same day 3 transactions on our card took place to the tune of $1,200.00. We suspect it is even more than that. Those 3 transactions all took place at a ‘Toys R Us’ store in Nashville, Tennessee. We have been in touch with our bank in Canada & new cards are being issued. Kelly called the truck stop to give them a head’s up but the manager guy did not seem concerned. The pump we used there, which by the way did not ask for a zip code, was pump #20.

SPENCER & PHEEBS…..BEST PALS:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A guy walks into a bar, and buys a mug of beer. Then he sees someone he knows, and decides to go and say Hi ! to them, but he does not want to take his beer mug with him. So he keeps it on a table, along with a note "I spit in this beer" thinking that no one will drink it. Upon return, he sees another note saying "Me too!"

Friday, March 08, 2013

GEOGRAPHICAL BEEFUZZLEMENTS

JUST UP THE ROAD FROM OUR HOUSE

It was bundled up against a cold south wind we were this cloudy March morning here in Congress Arizona. A quick walk around the block & that was pretty much it for any outside activities today.

MOUNTAIN SUN SPLASH

Now, a few thoughts on our shake down cruise. With the much smaller Class C RV space we found ourselves bumping into each other like a couple mumbly pegs. Certainly does require some getting used to when downsizing. I think once we get our dinette problem solved we will have much more room. Nothing we can do about the bathroom. Small is what small is & there is no way around it. I did try out the shower & if I had thought the Damon shower was small….I obviously had not met the Sunseeker shower yet. I slept in the corner bed on our trip & Kelly slept in the upper bunk. I think we will reverse that next time. I didn’t find Crab crawling across that corner bed to my liking & Kelly did get a sore back from the upper bunk. When I slept up there a few weeks ago I didn’t have any problem. The kitchen stuff worked out OK but no handy counter space. Of course our Damon didn’t have much either. One of the biggest problems I had was where to put my stuff. Cameras, books, computer, clothes, shoes, etc. I do not like to be disorganized so I was in quite a state of mind for a couple days. And with no comfortable place to sit while writing my blog, I either ended up outside in a lawn chair with a blanket over my head or on the bed. But, that’s what a shakedown cruise is for. Problem solving. We’ll do better next time out & even better after that.

I was happy with the way the rig handled & ran. No complaints there. I do think Fords might have better closing cab doors though & for sure I do like the Ford front end grills far better than the Chevy’s. Not being a brand loyal kinda guy it wouldn’t have mattered to me if this rig was a Chev or a Ford except it’s easier to get out of the Chevy’s driver seat to go into the coach. Chevy engines are placed further forward. Reading the write ups & reviews between the two, the Chevy does come out on top with it’s better performing & more fuel efficient engine. Seems most Sunseeker folks prefer the Chevrolet chassis. Made little difference to me. Had this rig been on a Ford chassis with all the same upgrades for the same great price, then we would be driving a Ford today instead of a Chev.

GHOST TOWN ROAD IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE HEADING TOWARDS THE OLD CONGRESS GOLD MINE

I think the biggest mistake we made on our shakedown cruise was to not prepare a check list before we left. We forgot a lot of obvious stuff & it was kinda embarrassing for an experienced couple like ourselves to forget so many things. I did remember to take an extra pair of socks.

EVEN LIT A FIRE TODAY TO WARD OFF THE CHILLS

Donna, over at the CAVE DWELLINGS wondered about our eating arrangements in the Sunseeker because of no table. We never had one in the Damon either. Oh we had a dinette alright at first but we weren’t long in hauling that uncomfortable Mossmagator out of there. We just kinda eat wherever we can. Sometimes it’s a plate balanced on a knee, sometimes a TV table, sometimes my laptop is my tabletop. We never have anyone in for supper or social events, so no need for a table. It just gathers clutter & takes up valuable space.

I really like Jif’s new natural Peanut Butter & Honey peanut butter. Stumbled across it in a Walmart store a couple months ago. But, there’s a problem. In my opinion, it’s just tooooooo darn good & it’s just tooooooo darn accessibly simple to eat. Before, I had to get out the peanut butter jar, the honey jar, & my piece of flat bread. On goes the peanut butter followed by the honey which sometimes skids around in the peanut butter causing me great concern. I then have to roll it up to eat it. Lot of work. With peanut butter & honey already mixed I have a tendency to go to ‘my stuff’ cupboard, crank the lid off the peanut butter jar & dig me out one mighty big whalloping hunk of PB&H with a kitchen knife. In a split second it is down the hatch & I am back into the jar frantically digging for more. Oh dear, this is not a good thing for the old weight program…………….

And a new Blog Follower today. Welcome aboard TRAINMAN. Or, is that, ‘all aboard’:))

New neighbors on the street behind us & it appears they have about half a dozen dogs. I think that brings the total number of dogs on our block to about 10,000 now.

In the 7 years we have been traveling to the southwest we have never crossed the mountains to the Pacific coast. Just have never had a big interest in anything over there, except maybe the ocean of course. Not to say there isn’t a lot of interesting things, but for me the thoughts of all that traffic & people chaos just isn’t appealing anymore. However, there is one city that has always stuck in my mind. Thought if I had a chance to pick one city to see, it would be San Diego. So, maybe next winter we just may make a special effort to get ourselves on over there. Chris & Caron from TRAVELS WITH CC & DIXIE have been having a blast in San Diego this past little while. RETIRED ROD & Loyce just left there. And San Diego is very familiar turf for well known fellow RV Bloggers Nina & Paul from WHEELING IT. If we do make a trip over that way we will definitely be checking out Nina’s San Diego posts about where to stay & what to see, etc. We met Nina last winter at a farmer’s market on Christmas Circle in Borrego Springs:))

And here’s an outdoor couple with a sense of adventure who like doing the same kinds of things & traveling to the same kinds of places we do. Check out their moderate risk factor hike in Utah’s Zion Canyon. OH, THE PLACES THEY GO. Watch for their adventures on our sidebar:))

Although I do basically have a good sense of direction, I do get myself confoozled from time to time & especially here in the southwest. This past week was no exception. First, a few blogs ago while at the Clark Dry Lake Bed near Borrego Springs I mentioned about the night time glow of lights being visible as Riverside California. Looking at my Benchmark Atlas this morning, I see that is incorrect. I had been told a few years ago by another RV’er that glow over the Santa Rosa mountains was Riverside. I should have double checked that. The visible glow in fact is from the Palm Springs/Indio area of California, not Riverside. Maybe my sense of direction is thrown off by the mountains or something. And, I think I mis-identified the mountain range behind Borrego Springs. I was calling it the Vallecito Mountains when in fact I think that mountain range is the San Jacinto mountains. Made another geographical driving flub just a couple days ago in Indio as well.

RETIRED ROD was actually right when he said the Home Depot in Indio was right next to Interstate 10. I was wrong in saying it wasn’t. As another commenter said, coming from the south it can be confusing finding the I-10 cut-off east. After looking at that area of Indio on MAPQUEST this morning I can see why it is confusing & where we got confused. I hadn’t realized we were actually on I-10 heading west when we pulled off onto Jackson Street. In the morning I again didn’t realize we drove back onto I-10 from Jackson Street when we headed south. Oh the beefuzzlement of it all. But, you know what, bet I’m not the only guy who gets beefuzzled sometimes. But maybe, just maybe, I am one of the few guys who will admit it:))

DESPITE TODAY’S COLD WIND & RAIN, OUR BACKYARD BIRDS WERE NOT WAVERED FROM THEIR SEED

And our weather today? Mid morning rains brought on early afternoon bits of hail & some big time thunder. Wind gusts swung our shed doors around & it looked like a bird convention at our feeders. Nothing seems to bother those guys when it comes to weather……

When the clouds lifted off the nearby Weaver Mountains late this afternoon they left behind a dusting of snow……….

But, we did end the day on a positive note under sunny blue skies & the promise of warmer days ahead:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( The first boy says, "My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him $50." The second boy says, "That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100." The third boy says, "I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon. And it takes eight people to collect all the money!"

Thursday, March 07, 2013

I PARTICULARLY LIKED JIMBO’S POST TODAY

DAWN BREAKS OVER ARIZONA’S DOME ROCK MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY MORNING

My aim with this post is to quickly get things up to date starting with our departure from Indio California early Wednesday morning.

---

When we turned in for the night Tuesday the weather was calm & the air warm. Opened all our roof vents. It was those roof vents which woke me a few hours later with their rattling. The winds were upon us. The surrounding Palm trees were flapping while dust & debris scattered itself across the large parking lot. Had my fingers crossed it would turn out to be a tail wind for us & not a cross wind. Luckily, it turned out to be a tail wind.

---

In a comment, RETIRED ROD mentioned about Home Depot being right at I-10. Not so, at least not the one we were at. We had to backtrack south from Jackson Street for maybe 3 or 4 miles to pick up I-10 east. The huge mall parking lot we were in also had a ‘Toys R Us’ store plus others. Lots of neon signs around us. I’m guessing it was a newer mall. We were on the road by 5:30 a.m. heading home.

---

I was hoping to make the Arizona State line & Quartzsite with the existing fuel we had left in the tank. I had filled the tank in Congress before we left & sure did not want to pay the high California gas prices. Ever notice how aware you become with a low fuel gauge & the fact that all of a sudden there are no gas stations for miles. Saw one gas station on I-10 just east of Indio & that was it until Blythe California.

---

Rolling into Blythe nearly 2 hours later the sun was slowly rising as our fuel gauge was rapidly dropping. Crossed the Colorado River & Arizona State line with fingers crossed & eyes on the gauge. We were on the empty mark at that point. Would we get an audible ‘low fuel warning’ with this vehicle. I knew Quartzsite was only another 10 miles or so. Just had to make it through the Dome Rock Mountains. Where is a flat fuel saving stretch of road when one really needs one!!

ROLLING INTO BLYTHE CALIFORNIA

But make it through the Dome Rock Mountains we did & there stretched out on the valley floor ahead was Quartzsite Arizona. I knew there was a ‘Loves Truck Stop’ on the west end of the Q on our side. My eyes darted back & forth between the fuel gauge & searching for the big ‘Loves’ sign. Phone rang & it was a Deer Park Lodge call for Kelly. She was on the phone as I slowed for the exit off I-10 to Loves. I was on the ramp when I heard the low fuel ‘bong, bong, bong’, sound. Now, that was just way to close for comfort & not something we normally do. But from the tank being full to the tank being empty we had a little over 500 miles of running time. I now know where my fuel limit is & how far a tank will take us under average conditions.

Put just enough fuel in to get us home because I didn’t want the rig sitting with the weight of a nearly full gas tank for the next month before we head back to Canada. Distance traveled from the time I filled the tank in Congress to the ‘bong-bong’ warning in Quartzsite…539 miles. Total distance traveled for the rig’s shakedown cruise…..632 miles.

ALWAYS LOTS OF COLORFUL HAPPENINGS AROUND McDONALDS IN QUARTZSITE ARIZONA

A quick breakfast to go at McDonald’s in Quartzsite & we were headed for our Congress home base on another beautiful Arizona morning. As I’ve said before, my favorite time of day for driving is between sunrise & about 10 in the morning. It is that earlier morning light that gives the beautiful landscape it’s magical charm. And nowhere is it more apparent than here in the west with long mountain shadows spilling & stretching into surrounding valleys & canyons. Rolling across the quiet desert floor, many memories were brought to mind. Again, my thoughts turned to how fortunate we are to be living the lifestyle we do.

ON THE ROAD TO HOME BASE JUST WEST OF CONGRESS AZ.

We were home by 10 a.m. & I noticed right away how our yard looked a little greener than just a few days ago. Pheebs was glad to be home too as she raced all around the property, in the front door of the house & out the back. Kelly & I immediately busied ourselves with unloading the rig & getting ourselves re-organized. An hour later we slipped quietly back into our house routine & there we remained for the rest of the day. I like being organized & our 2 day shakedown cruise had really scrambled me. But, I’ll be back with more thoughts on that in the next few days. Now, for today…….

LOOKS LIKE WE FINALLY HAVE SOME GREEN STUFF GROWING

Cheryl Ann from DEEP CANYON had a question regarding her high clearance Nissan X-Terra & could it make the sandy road trip to Ghost Mountain. Answer is yes, no problem. Just be aware of some ruts & pot holes along the way. And, do not head in there if it has been raining. Chances are good you could get stuck. By the way, lots of info about the Marshal South family’s story atop Ghost Mountain on the internet. And, there is a film/DVD by producer & director John McDonald called, THE GHOST MOUNTAIN EXPERIMENT. We met John & wife Lydia at the base of Ghost Mountain a few years ago. My post about that meeting is here at, THE JULIAN CEMETERY & DIRECTOR JOHN McDONALD.

Did me a little crawling around under the rig this morning. Everything looks so new. Kind of interesting how the rear wheel wells & other areas of the coach are sprayed heavily with a brown foam. Had never seen that before. We will definitely get the whole unit undercoated this Fall.

EVERYTHING LOOKS SO NEW UNDER HERE

LOTS OF SPRAYED FOAM UNDERNEATH THE COACH PART

And that totally uncomfortable dinette has to come out of the rig for sure. In the 4 days we were away we never sit on that thing for one minute. Didn’t even take the table with us. After our shakedown cruise, that dinette area renovation has become priority one. The folks who owned this rig before we did, ordered it right from the factory in Elkhart Indiana with that dinette in it. That may have been a big contributing factor as to why they only put 3,000 miles on the Sunseeker & decided to sell it. Kelly did call ‘Forest River’ (the company that built the rig) today to see if they do renovations but the lady said no, they only do warranty work. We did put a ‘dinette for sale’ note on the Forest River forum site. Have had a couple replies. Myself, I would just be happy to give it away if someone would come & remove it for us. Been looking at suitable recliners on line this morning. Thought about a love seat idea but we like the independent versatility of recliners. They can be swiveled towards the TV & of course, less weight.

THIS DINETTE FRAMEWORK HAS TO BE TAKEN OUT

Looks like we might be heading back to Ontario sometime in the first week of April. It will depend on weather, & whether we feel like leaving then or a bit later. We like to stay flexible. But like every year, after a few days of being home we’ll say, ‘why did we come home so early’:(( Always happens. But one reason is the bad tornado weather that can kick up across the mid west starting around mid April it seems. It’s another reason we don’t dilly dally around on the way. Point A to point B just as quick as we can go. No sightseeing, no visiting. Just head er on home & slide quietly into our Canadian lifestyle once again for the next 6 months.

I DISLIKED THE DINETTE SO MUCH I PREFERRED SITTIN ON THE BED TO TYPE MY BLOG IN BORREGO SPRINGS

Got some bad weather headed our way & it looks like the week-end is going to end up being cool & wet. Oh well, hopefully the rain will help spark the desert into bloom. And, by the looks of the comments we received from folks in Borrego Springs, it’s good we got out of town when we did. They have had a couple really, really bad windy nights. Not good.

---

I have a special place in my heart for all animals, especially dogs. It was Jim from JIMBO'S JOURNEY who opened the door to that place for me today with his post about Chica, the hungry & stray little Chihuahua dog who, needing help & human kindness, wandered into Jim’s life recently…………..

PHEEBS WASN’T TOO SURE ABOUT THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK THIS MORNING, BUT THEN…..A SMOOCH

GROANER’S CORNER:(( "I'm sorry," said the clerk in flower shop, "we don't have potted geraniums. Could you use African violets instead?" Replied the customer sadly, "No, it was geraniums my wife told me to water while she was gone."

And did you know brain cells come and brain cells go, but...fat cells have a tendency to live forever.